Guitar conversion

ABSTRACT

A guitar conversion which utilizes, in part, a conventional guitar having a neck in which the fret board is essentially coplanar with the front surface sound box and on which is mounted a single piece conversion member presenting a face disposed in angular relation to the front surface of the sound box on which is placed an angular fret board such as a Hawaiian type; the conversion member having an extended end providing a guitar nut and merging onto the guitar head; the guitar also being provided with an angular bridge corresponding to the fret board. The conversion member, its fret board and the bridge may be constructed to receive any number strings, such as, but not necessarily the number of strings of the selected guitar, permitting use of the guitar string tightener units as well its anchoring device. In some cases, special retainers are provided in conjunction with selected string tightener units to permit angular extension of the strings.

United States Patent [191 Smith Nov. 4, 1975 GUITAR CONVERSION [76] Inventor: Walter E. Smith, PO. Box A,

. Payette, Idaho 83661 [22] Filed: June 13, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 478,860

[52] US. Cl. 84/267; 84/293; 84/294 Primary ExaminerStephen J. Tomsky Assistant Examiner-John F. Gonzales Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Lyon & Lyon [57] ABSTRACT A guitar conversion which utilizes, in part, a conventional guitar having a neck in which the fret board is essentially coplanar with the front surface sound box and on which is mounted a single piece conversion member presenting a face disposed in angular relation to the front surface of the sound box on which is placed an angular fret board such as a Hawaiian type; the conversion member having an extended end providing a guitar nut and merging onto the guitar head; the guitar also being provided with an angular bridge corresponding to the fret board. The conversion member, its fret board and the bridge may be constructed to receive any number strings, such as, but not necessarily the number of strings of the selected guitar, permitting use of the guitar string tightener units as well its anchoring device. In some cases, special retainers are provided in conjunction with selected string tightener units to permit angular extension of the strings.

6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures US. Patent NOV.4, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,916,753

Sheet 2 of 2 US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 GUITAR CONVERSION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is related to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,785,239; 3,739,072; 3,426,638; 3,398,623; and 3,398,239. These patents disclose several concepts whereby for example, a Hawaiian type fret board may be disposed in angular relation to the front face of a guitar sound box to facilitate playing the guitar while the guitar is supported from the neck of the musician and the musician plays the guitar while standing.

An object of the present invention is to provide means which utilizes the sound box, neck and head of a conventional guitar having a fret board in essentially coplanar relation to the front of the sound box wherein a novely arranged unitary conversion member is mounted on the neck over the conventional fret board.

A further object is to provide a guitar, as indicated, in the previous object, wherein the conversion member is a single piece casting of light weight material which merges onto the head of the guitar and is so constructed that the tonal quality is improved.

A further object is to provide means for converting a guitar to an angular fret board type whereby with minimal addition, the string tuning means may be adapted to the angular fret board.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the converted guitar.

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the conversion member.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken through 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken through 55 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a plan view similar to FIG. 1 showing the guitar prior to conversion.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side view taken from 77 of FIG. 6 showing one of the tuning pegs.

FIG. 8 is a further enlarged fragmentary view thereof taken through 8-8 of FIG. 7.

The guitar conversion comprising the present invention includes in part a conventional guitar shown in FIG. 6 before conversion. The guitar to be converted includes a sound box 1 from which extends a neck 2 having a front surface provided with a fret board 2A which overlies a portion of the front side of the sound box 1. The neck and its fret board may be considered as essentially coplanar or at least disposed in parallel relation with the front surface of the sound box. The neck 2 terminates in a head 3 having appropriate tuning units 4, each including a tuning peg 5.

The end of the sound box remote from the head 3 is provided with an anchor 6, the front side of the sound box is provided with a bridge 7 and appropriate set of strings 8 extend between the anchor 6 and the tuning units 4. In a construction illustrated, the guitar is provided with 12 strings; however, a guitar having any number of strings or of any conventional size may be used and the elements by which conversion is effected may be of corresponding dimension.

The present invention also includes conversion elements for attachment to the guitar. In order to receive the conversion elements, the set of strings 8 is removed as well as the bridge 7. Also if the number of strings is to be reduced corresponding tuning units 4 are removed. For purposes of illustration. the guitar as converted is provided with strings whereas before con- 2 version, the guitar was provided with 12 strings. Accordingly, two tuning units 4, preferably the pair adjacent the neck are removed. The fret board 2A may be removed, but preferably remains intact on the neck 2.

The conversion means includes a converting member 9 cast in a single piece. The converting member is triangular in the cross section and includes a side or bottom wall 10 having a longitudinal shoulder 11 and an edge flange 12. The converting member also includes a top or front wall 13 which slopes at an acute angle to the side wall 10 terminating in an edge 14. The top wall 13 is provided with a series of openings 15 and in the regions between each opening, there is provided a triangular cross rib 16.

The converting member is dimensioned to fit the neck 2 and the fret board thereon. When the guitar is in playing position, the fret board covering the neck 2 faces forwardly and upwardly, the side wall 10 extends along the underside or edge of the neck with the flange 12 underlying the lower edge of the fret board 2A.

The extended end of the converting member 9 is provided with a transverse serrated nut 17 to receive the guitar strings. Continuing from the nut 17 is a head plate 18 which adjacent to the nut is triangular in cross section, its extended end however, is flat and conforms to the confronting surface of the head 3. That is, the head plate 18 blends between the nut 17 and the head plate to form a transition surface.

The opposite end of the converting member 9 projects over the front side of the guitar to the opening 19 conventionally provided in the sound box 1. This end of the converting member may be provided with an extension 20 having an opening therein to receive a conventional sound pick-up unit 20A. The converting member 9 is secured to the neck 2 by screws 21 one of which may be located at the extended end of the head plate 18 and one or more others may extend through appropriate cross ribs 16 as indicated in FIG. 4.

The top or front wall 13 of the converting member 9 is covered by a fret board 22 which is provided with appropriate markings, not shown herein, but illustrated in the aforementioned patents.

In order to conceal the location of the original bridge 7, the front side of the sound box is provided with an appropriate cover plate 23 and fastened to the sound box. Secured through the cover plate is a bridge 24 dia posed in angular relation to the sound box and essentially parallel relation with the surface of the fret board Due to the presence of the converting member 9, the stresses are applied to the tuning pegs 6 and are changed in direction. As a consequence it is desirable to provide for each row of tuning pegs a reinforcing journal plate 25 that is, each plate 25 serves to journal a corresponding tuning peg and also to reinforce the peg against displacement. A set of strings 26 are substituted for the strings 8 and extend from the anchor 6 across to the bridge 24 and nut 17 to the tuning pegs 5. Due to the inclined top or front wall 13 and the corresponding inclination of the nut 17, the row of pegs which form the lower row when the guitar is in playing position recieve strings which are more angularly disposed than the top row. Furthermore, this angular relation increases as the distance between the pegs and the nut 17 decreases. Those tuning pegs wherein the strings have the greater angular relation may be provided with flange eyelets 27 secured by folded pins 28 extending through the perforations which also receive the corre- 3 sponding strings.

The guitar is provided with appropriate means, not

shown, whereby the guitar is supported by the musician utilizing a shoulder strap so that the guitar faces outwardly and the top or front wall 3 slopes upwardly toward the player with the edge 14 at the upper margin of the neck. Reference is made to the aforementioned patents for a more detailed explanation of the manner of which the guitar is used.

The regions between the cross ribs 16 and between the original fret board 2A or the neck 2 and the fret board 22 through the opening 13 form sound chambers which have been found to improve the tonal quality of the converted guitar.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the details herein set forth, but that my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A guitar, comprising: a sound box, a neck having an original fret board thereon extending from the sound box and terminating in a head, the head having string tuning means; the neck presenting a surface essentially coplanar with the front of the sound box; a single piece conversion member including a front wall having a substitute fret board thereon disposed in angular relation to the original fret board and engaging the lower margin thereof, an edge flange at the upper side of the front wall engaging the upper margin of the orginal fret board, the conversion member forming with the original fret board, a longitudinally extending resonating chamber, and a string receiving nut adjacent the head; a bridge having a string receiving edge in essentially parallel relation with the substitute fret board; a string anchor on the front side of the sound box; and a set of strings extending from the anchor across the bridge over the substitute fret board, across the nut and joined to the tuning means.

2. A guitar as defined in claim 1, wherein: the conversion member includes a plate portion blending between 4 the surface of the head and the angularly related surface of the nut.

3. A guitar as defined in claim 1, wherein: the guitar head includes reinforcing journal plates for the pegs; and string retainer flange elements are provided of selected pegs to permit angular extension of the corresponding strings to the nut.

4. A guitar as defined in claim 1, wherein: the resonating chamber is divided into a series of sound chambers.

5. A guitar converting means defined in claim 1 which further comprises: reinforcing journal means for the tuning means to permit the strings to extend to the nut in angular relation to the head; selected tuning means including string retension flanges. I

6. Means for converting a guitar having a sound box and neck in essentially coplanar relation, the neck terminating in a head having string tuning means, and a string anchor received to the sound box, said converting means comprising: a single piece converting member cast of a light weight material, including a sloping wall having a lower margin adapted to engage the lower margin of the guitar neck, and a flange along the upper margin of the sloping wall adapted to engage the upper margin of the guitar neck, the sloping wall presenting a fret board receiving surface disposed in angular relation to the front surface of the sound box, the converting member forming with the neck a longitudinally extending sound resonating chamber and the converting member terminating at the guitar head in an integral nut disposed in angular relation thereto; a fret board for said receiving surface; and a bridge secured to the front of the sound box in cooperative relation to the fret board; said anchor, bridge, nut and tuning means being adapted to receive a set of strings for disposition over the fret board whereby the set of strings are disposed in a plane defining an angle with the front of the sound box. 

1. A guitar, comprising: a sound box, a neck having an original fret board thereon extending from the sound box and terminating in a head, the head having string tuning means; the neck presenting a surface essentially coplanar with the front of the sound box; a single piece conversion member including a front wall having a substitute fret board thereon disposed in angular relation to the original fret board and engaging the lower margin thereof, an edge flange at the upper side of the front wall engaging the upper margin of the orginal fret board, the conversion member forming with the original fret board, a longitudinally extending resonating chamber, and a string receiving nut adjacent the head; a bridge having a string receiving edge in essentially parallel relation with the substitute fret board; a string anchor on the front side of the sound box; and a set of strings extending from the anchor across the bridge over the substitute fret board, across the nut and joined to the tuning means.
 2. A guitar as defined in claim 1, wherein: the conversion member includes a plate portion blending between the surface of the head and the angularly related surface of the nut.
 3. A guitar as defined in claim 1, wherein: the guitar head includes reinforcing journal plates for the pegs; and string retainer flange elements are provided of selected pegs to permit angular extension of the corresponding strings to the nut.
 4. A guitar as defined in claim 1, wherein: the resonating chamber is divided into a series of sound chambers.
 5. A guitar converting means defined in claim 1 which further comprises: reinforcing journal means for the tuning means to permit the strings to extend to the nut in angular relation to the head; selected tuning means including string retension flanges.
 6. Means for converting a guitar having a sound box and neck in essentially coplanar relation, the neck terminating in a head having string tuning means, and a string anchor received to the sound box, said converting means comprising: a single piece converting member cast of a light weight material, including a sloping wall having a lower margin adapted to engage the lower margin of the guitar neck, and a flange along the upper margin of the sloping wall adapted to engage the upper margin of the guitar neck, the sloping wall presenting a fret board receiving surface disposed in angular relation to the front surface of the sound box, the converting member forming with the neck a longitudinally extending sound resonating chamber and the converting member terminating at the guitar head in an integral nut disposed in angular relation thereto; a fret board for said receiving surface; and a bridge secured to the front of the sound box in cooperative relation to the fret board; said anchor, bridge, nut and tuning means bEing adapted to receive a set of strings for disposition over the fret board whereby the set of strings are disposed in a plane defining an angle with the front of the sound box. 